Saliva Supernatant miR-21: a Novel Potential Biomarker for Esophageal Cancer Detection

Objective: To identify whether saliva supernatant miR-21 can serve as a novel potential biomarker in patientswith esophageal cancer (EC).
Methods: 32 patients with EC and 16 healthy controls were recruited in this study.Total RNA was extracted from saliva supernatant samples for measurement of miR-21 levels using RT-qPCR andrelationships between miR-21 levels and clinical characteristics of EC patients were analyzed.
Results: miR-21was significantly higher in the EC than control groups. The sensitivity and specificity were 84.4% and 62.5%respectively. Supernatant miR-21 levels showed no significant correlation with cancer stage, differentiation andnodal metastasis.
Conclusions: Saliva supernatant miR-21 may be a novel biomarker for EC.